Word Nerd Book Trailer

... After the Red Maple Awards my publicist at Tundra found this on-line. A few eighth graders at a school in Ontario made this. They've given me their permission to post it. I think it's awesome!

Why The Red Cyclist's Jacket, Susin?

I've had a few people ask about my stylish attire on-stage at the Red Maple Awards. The red cycling jacket was loaned to me by a lovely volunteer named Joel. The reason he loaned me his jacket? It was FREEZING up there! The Sirius stage is a wonderful open-air theatre. But who'd have thunk it would be what felt like 5 degrees celcius, in mid-May in Toronto? Anyway, I happened to be at the end of the stage closest to the wings, so I was the lucky author-recipient of Joel's jacket. That was just one moment of many where the Forest of Reading staff and volunteers went out of their way to help us. Thanks again Joel!

Who I Met At the Red Maple Awards

I got to meet a lot of great people at the Red Maple Awards. First, there were the kids. They were amazing! Each author got their own student sign carrier and student presenter, and mine were both terrific. I particularly liked my sign carrier's awesome hat.

I also met lots of cool kids afterward as they waited patiently for autographs.



And I met tons of other authors. First I met a number of my fellow Red Maple nominees. (They were all there, by the way - I just didn't get to speak personally with all of them). In no particular order I met: Max Turner, Rene Schmidt, Philip Roy, Sharon McKay and Caroline Pignat (who, by the way, won the prestigious Governor General's Literary Award for her novel, Greener Grass ... She also has a book out called Egghead which, based on the title alone, I want to read!).

I even met Kenneth Oppel! Yes, that Kenneth Oppel.

I also met other Tree nominees Julie Burtinshaw, Shelley Hrdlitschka and Marsha Skrypuch. I met the winner of the White Pine Award, Pam Bustin, when she very kindly pointed me in the direction of the washrooms!

I also ran into some old friends.

Robert Heidbreder, nominated for the Blue Spruce Award, was there. Now, not only is Robert an excellent writer, he is also a retired first grade teacher. He taught my son, and he was, without a doubt, the best teacher ever. And believe me, I'm not the only one who thinks so: He won the Prime Minister's Award for teaching excellence. He is one of a kind, and I was so happy to see him again!

Arthur Slade, one of my favourite authors and also one of my favourite people. He was nominated for the Silver Birch Award. The very first author's festival I was invited to (Winnipeg's excellent Thin Air, in 2008) I shared a stage with Arthur. In spite of being a Governor General's Literary Award winner, he was the nicest, funniest, kindest, most generous fellow. And, seeing him last week, I could see he hasn't changed a bit!

And last but definitely not least, I got to see my heroine, Susan Juby. She was nominated for the White Pine Award, for her excellent novel, Getting the Girl. I owe a lot to Ms. Juby. She basically played a pivotal role in helping me get published. She's the bomb.

Caroline Pignat, Susin Nielsen and Susan Juby

"Word Nerd" Wins the OLA's Red Maple Award!

I may be home from Toronto, but I'm not off of my cloud. What an incredible week. I am absolutely amazed by the Ontario Library Association and their ability to pull off an event like the Forest of Reading. On "my" day, May 12th (where, in different ceremonies, the Blue Spruce, the Red Maple and the White Pine winners were announced), there were, I believe, over 3000 kids in attendance down at Harbourfront in Toronto.

Winning this award means the world to me, because it comes from the young readers themselves. And they made all the authors feel like rock stars. But don't take my word for it; watch the clip! (I'm sorry it's so long - you can skim - the best part is the roar of the crowd! Justin Beiber, eat your heart out ...)

The Red Maple Awards

On Monday I leave for Toronto for a packed week. "Word Nerd" was nominated for the Red Maple Award, as well as the Golden Oak Award. The awards ceremony, where they'll announce the winner, is on Wednesday. It should be a really fun day, not only because I'll get to meet tons of amazing authors, but because the place will be packed with kid readers! I love meeting young people who love reading.

During the rest of the week I'm doing eight school presentations. Am I scared? YES!! Big time! I'll let you know how it all goes once I'm back.